Movie Concept Kraven the Hunter - Created May 22, 2009

Anyone who knows me knows that I like to work heavily in the Marvel Movie category of customizing. And I like even more to design my own concept for what a character might look like in a movie. And with that, I give you my movie concept for Kraven the Hunter. He was made using the head from a Neca S-Mart Ash, torso and arms from a TNA Eric Young, and the legs from a Marvel Urban Legends Punisher.

I've been thinking for years now how it is not cool that Bruce Campbell has appeared in every Spider-Man film in bit parts, but has yet to appear in the role he was born to play. Kraven the Hunter. Just look at any photo of him as Autolocus from Xena and Hercules and you'll see him with a classic Kraven goatee. He looks just like him! So naturally that's where I got the idea to use the Neca S-Mart Ash head for this custom. I even liked the scars on his face. Made him look more badass. So I scultped on the goatee, painted it black, dry-brushed some light grey into his hair, and made the flesh tone of his face look more...fleshy. Then I attached the head to the torso of Eric Young via boil and pop.

The Eric Young torso was perfect for what I needed. Shirtless, muscular but not too buff, and I even liked that his wrists and hands were wrapped up. Better for Kraven to grip those weapons, or the throats of his prey! All I did on the torso was paint the wraps around his hands a more leather color. Then I attached the torso to the legs of an Urban Legends Punisher.

After that I took the vest that came with an X2 Logan figure in his civies clothes. I put it on my new Kraven, painted it flat black, then dry-brushed testors leather over it and dry-brushed testors sand over that to make it look lighter and more worn. For Kraven's belt I cut out a strip of foam and glued it on. The belt buckle is a piece of foam too. Then I just painted it black, and dry-brushed leather over it. The belt buckle was painted using gun metal with a silver dry-brushing. Then I dry-brushed leather and sand over the legs as well, and dry-brushed grey over his boots to make them look worn and not so shiny.

Now for the weapons. First, I equipped Kraven with 3 weapons. A machete, a knife, and a crossbow. The Kraven I picture doesn't use guns unless he absolutely has to. He kills either with his hands or with these three weapons. I don't remember where the machete came from. It was in my fodder bin and was perfect for what I needed. The sheath for the machete was Ash's holster for his shotgun that I cut to length. The strap for his sheath was cut from a Mr. Sinister strap painted to look like leather, and the sheath was attached to that. It doesn't interfere with articulation at all. The knife and sheath came from a McFarlane Corporal Hicks figure. I cut the sheath off, glued it onto Kraven's vest, painted it leather, and there ya go.

The crossbow is my favorite. It came from a random Buffy figure. But the thing I'm really proud of is the holster I made for it. On Kraven's back there is a strap that folds and buttons up holding the crossbow in place, but can easily be unbuttoned for crossbow removal. To accomplish this I used a strip of foam, painted it, and used small clasp buttons that I got from Wal-Mart's craft section and sewed them to either end of the strap. Glue wouldn't work for this. It wouldn't hold the buttons well enough, and I chose foam for the strap for easier sewing. Then I painted it again, and glued it to his back. So all of his weapons can be held, and sheathed/holstered to him. Perfect functionality.

This is one of those customs where just everything came together perfectly. I didn't even spend too much time on this one, because everything went so smoothly. Definitely one of my favorites I've done so far. Even the photos turned out exactly as I wanted them to.